Evidence Mapper

Workflow

Data – choose a file or an open layer. A preview confirms it was read correctly.
Columns – choose how locations are described. Press Check mapping: the report shows how many studies were placed and exactly which entries could not be matched (they become the footnote).
Area – world, region, countries, fit to data, or custom box.
Basemap and symbols – tile basemap or a raster layer from your project; circles or choropleth; palettes; boundaries; graticule; projection.
Layout and export – texts, page, elements, formats, resolution. Create map builds the print layout, exports files and shows a suggested caption.

Circle area is proportional to the value, so the legend circles can be compared directly with the map.
Use a bottom panel and portrait orientation for single-column journal figures.
Greyscale palette + greyscale basemap gives a black-and-white-safe figure.
Edit anything afterwards: Project ▸ Layouts. Layers created by the plugin sit in the group “Evidence Mapper – …”.
Reproduce a figure exactly: save the settings JSON on the last page and load it later.